The basic Browning M1911 design has seen very little change throughout its long production life. The basic principle of the pistol is recoil operation. As expanding combustion gases force a bullet down the barrel, they give reverse momentum to an associated slide and barrel, which are locked together during this portion of the firing cycle. After the bullet has left the barrel, the slide and barrel continue rearward for a short distance.
At that point, a link pivots the barrel down and out of locking recesses formed in the slide, thereby bringing the barrel to a stop. As the slide continues rearward, a claw extractor pulls the spent casing from the firing chamber and an ejector strikes the rear of the case, thereby pivoting it out and away from the pistol. The slide then stops and is propelled forward by a spring to strip a fresh cartridge from the magazine and feed it into the firing chamber. At the forward end of its travel distance, the slide locks into the barrel and is ready to fire again.
Since its inception, the M1911 has lent itself to customization, with replacement sights, grips, and other aftermarket accessories being the most commonly offered replacement parts. Since the 1950s and the rise of competitive pistol shooting, many companies have been offering the M1911 as a base model for subsequent customization. Typical modifications range from changing the external finish, checkering the frame, and hand fitting custom hammers, triggers and sears.
Other modifications include compensators and the addition of accessories such as tactical lights and viewing scopes. A relatively common modification of the original Browning design is a full-length guide rod that runs the full length of the recoil spring. This change adds weight to the front of the pistol, but does not generally result in an increase in accuracy or reliability, and generally make the pistol much more difficult to disassemble.
Accordingly, there is need for modifications, replacement parts, and a system to increase the durability and performance of M1911 pistols.